Automatic reversible fan for explosive-engines



A. HOILAND.

AUTOMATIC REVERSIBLE FAN FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

' 'APPLICATION FILED JAN.14, 1920.

Reissued Apr.13,1920.' 14,838.

2 T 5 zz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT I-IOILAND, OF FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA.

AUTOMATIC REVERSIBLE FAN FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

To all whom it may comer-11.:

Be it known that I, ALBERT HOILAND. a citizen of the Fnited States, residing at *argo, in the county of Cass and State of Xorth Dakota, have invented a new and useful Automatic Reversible Fan for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in means for regulating the temperature of radiators and cooling jackets for explosive engines and consists mainly of an automatically operable fan for circulating warm or cold air against or through the radiator or jacket of the engine as may be required to cause the internal combustion engine to operate most efficiently.

My invention further provides means ,for

regulating the temperature and dfaft of air in the chamber or hood in which the engine of a motor vehicle is usually placed so as to cause warm air to be drawn from about the internal combustion engine and to blow this warm air against the cold radiator when starting the internal combustion engine at a time when the engine and radiator are cold. As the internal combustion engine is operated and becomes warm and reaches a temperature at which it operates most efficiently, my device is adapted to operate automatically to cause the blades of the air circulating fan to be moved into feathering position or into a position to cause cool air to be drawn through the radiator and directed over the internal combustion engine during its operation to keep an even or most desirable temperature in the radiator, engine jacket and about the engine, automatically, regardless of the atmos pheric temperature and conditions.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an explosive engine and its radiator, illust'rating the same diagrammatically as used in automobiles and illustrating my device attached thereto, a portion of which 1s illustrated in cross section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the thermostat employed in my device.

Specification of Reissued Letters Patent. Reiss d xl)] 13 192() Original No. 1,304,048, dated May 20, 1919, Serial No. 212,917, filed January 21, 1913.

reissue filed January 14. 1920.

Application for Serial No. 351,511.

5 with a base 6 and cooling radiator 7, which is connected by the pipe 8 with the water jacket 5 of the engine in the ordinary manner so that a complete circulation is made by the cooling fluid through the water jacket 5 and radiator -T to keep the engine from overheating while it is in operation. The radiator '7 is of any suitable honeycomb type with interstices 9, through which a current of air is automatically drawn by the cooling fan when the internal combustion engine is in operation. lVhen the engine and radiator form part of a motor vehicle and the same is traveling along the road the movement of the vehicle ahead tends to assist the fan in forcing air through the interstices 9 to cool the liquid in the radiator.

An air circulating fan 10 is positioned between the engine and radiator and is connected to an operating pulley 11, which is driven by a belt 12 from the pulley 13, which is connected in a suitable manner by the shaft 14 to the engine A so that Wheh the engine is operating, the fan 10 will be operated.

The pulley 11 is fixed or formed-integral with a sleeve 15 and rotates onthe shaft 16. which is rigidly secured in the upper end of the arm 17, while an enlarged head 18 is formed on the outer end of the shaft 16 to retain the sleeve freely rotatable on the shaft 16 between the head 18 and the arm 17. A spider frame 19 is formed on the forward end of the sleeve 15, in the arms of which are ournaled short, radially extending shafts 20. each of which carries at its outer end a fan blade 21, while the inner end is formed with a crank arm 22. which engages in the annular groove 23 of the shifting collar 24. The collar 24 is slidably mounted on the sleeve 15 and is engaged by a feather key 25, which causes it to rotate in unison with the sleeve 15.

Theshifting or operating collar-24 is formed with an annular groove 26, in which the fork end 27 of an operating arm engages, while.the other end of the arm is formed with a rod portion 28, which extends freely through the guide bracket 29. the operating arm being bent to allow it to freely operate the crank arm 22 of the fan blades 21 so that the blades can be turned to blow or draw air away from the internal combustion engine or to draw air they are heated and to contract when cooled.

are cooled.

A suitable coil spring 33 is positioned on the rod portion 28 of the operating arm and engages against the collar 34 and guide bracket 29 to assistv in the operation of the arm when the disks 32 contract when they The thermostat chamber 31 is secured by screws 35 to the water jacket 5-of the inter--.

nal combustion engine and is' formed with a port 36 to receive the cooling fluid into the chamber 31 fromthe jacket 5, while a suitable nipple 37 is connected. with the nipple.

38 by the flexiblepipe 8 to the upper portion of the radiator 7. fluidiin the jacket 5 and radiator 7 in its course of circulation is brought into direct contact with the thermostat disks 32 to cause the thermostat to operate in accordance with the heat of the internal combustion engine A, and as the thermostat is operated, the fan operating collar 24? is operated, which in turn operates the crank arm 22 to set the blades 21 of the fan in various positions. In this manner the blades 21 of the fan are thermostatically operated aut0-- matically in accordance with the heat of the internal combustion engineto set the blades to circulate air in either one direction or the other or to hold the blades in featheringor. neutral position,'at which point practically no air is circulated'by the fan in either direction. 5

In the operation of internal combustion" engines it has proved very. essential to main-' tain an even temperature about the cylinders of the same'and' thus water and air jacketshave been designed, which operate in connection with fans wind radiators for the purpose of equalizing or maintainin an even temperature for the internal com ustion engine during its operation either in idling or under various loads. My device is designed to automatically regulate to a closer degree the temperature of the internal combustion engine during its operation and instead of the cooling fan drawingair through the radiator openings 9 when the engine A is cold my device is designed to draw the warm air about the internal combustion engine, which is created when it starts, and blow this warm air against the honeycomb cells of the radiator to assist in warming the fluid therein and to bring the internal.combustionengine up to a temper- Thus the: cooling I ature at which it operates most efiiciently,

as quickly as possible. Instead of drawing cold air through the radiator openings 9 when the engine is cold and is just starting, which would tend to decrease the efliciency of the engine, warm air is directed against the radiator and the cold air is prevented from entering the engine ch amber under the hood through the radiator. This feature of my invention is extremely important in the successful operation of automobiles, aeroplanes or other devices using explosive engines! In the course of operation of the internal. combustion en ine, as the temperature inthe cooling jac et rises, theblades 21 ofthe fan are'automatically operated or tilted to turn the fan blades into feathering ,position and if the temperature continues to rise in the cooling jacket or chamber of the engine, the blades will be shifted beyond feathering position into a position to cause the air to be circulated or drawnthrough the openings 9 of the radiator and direct a current of air towardthe internal combustion engine, either in a more or less degree, to automatically direct a stronger light cur rent. of air through the radiator and toward,

the internal combustion engine. This is also true of the operation of the fan in drawing air away from the internal combustion engine.

The automatic operation of my device in relation to "the heat of theinternal combustion engine is very essential, as regardless of the atmospheric temperature and conditions in which the internal combustion ,engine is being operated, 11m" device is designed to automatically regulate the cooling means to keep-the internal combustion engine at an j even temperature or to bring'lt as quickly as ossible to its;.- most efiicient temperature wit out. the attention of' the operator or complicated mechanism, which might be apt to get out of order, and warm air drawn from the engine, which is circulated against the radiator in'starting the engine when the radiator and engine are cold, will tend to keep the cold air from entering the engine hood :or passing through the radiator.

VVhatI claim is:

1. In an explosive engine, a radiator, a cooling fan operatively connected with the engine, said fan having radialiwings tiltable about their radial axes, a Collar slidable on the shaftof the fan and engaging the wings to tilt them, a thermostat inserted in the water circulation of the engine and radiator and having a thermostatically pushed and pulled rod, a radial arm rigidly fixed on said rod and engaging the collar to slide it on the fan shaft.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, and a spring acting directly on the said rod of the thermostat to assist in the retracting of the rod when the temperature falls.

3. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a radiator, a cooling fan having tiltable blades and thermostatically operated means adapted to tilt the blades ,of said fan to direct a current of. air from or toward said internal combustion engine in a more or less p, degree or to move said blades'into a feathering position, automatically, in relation to' the heat of said internal combustion engine,

4:. In combination withan internal com-- bustion engine, a cooling radiator and means interposed between said radiator and engine adapted to automatically direct a current of air away from said internal combustionengine and against said radiator or to draw a current of air through said radiator and dlrect itagainst sald'internal combustion englne.

o. A cooling device for an internal com- Y.

.fan and means adapted to automatically operate the blades of said fan during its rotation in accordance with the heat of the internal combustion engine to direct a current I adapted to beinfluenced and operated by the temperature of the cooling medium in said engine and radiator to tilt the blades of said fan in accordance with the temperatufe of the cooling medium in said engine and radiator to automatically regulate'the temperature in saidengineand radiator by directingaif'away from said engine toward said radiator or through said radiator and toward said engine.

8. In an explosive engine having a cooling jacket adapted to receive a cooling medium. a cooling fan having tiltable blades operatively connected with said engine and means adapted to be influenced by the engine cooling medium to operate the blades of said fan to cause air to be drawn away from or brought toward'said explosive engine in a more or less degree in accordance with the temperature of the cooling medium and explosive engine.

9. A. cooling device for engines, including thermostaticallyoperated means adapted to be influenced'by the'heat units in said engine and means adapted to be operated by said thermostatical means to direct warm air away from said engine or to direct cool air toward said engine to automatically regulate the temperature in and about said engine-for the purposes specified.

10. A cooling device for engines, including means adapted to be automatically operated by the heat of said engine to prevent cold air from being directed against said engine before it has reached a temperature at which it operates most efficiently, said means being also adapted to automatically direct cool air over and about said engine to assist in maintaining an even temperature in and about said engine during its operation.

ALBERT HOILAND. 

